Tony Ashy will tell you the restaurant business is "in his blood." He's been working in restaurants in some capacity since he was 14. The Ashy family has opened three restaurants in Anderson: Carlee's and Tony's on Main, The Boondocks and 4126.

He's 26 now and striking out on his own with DT Taco at 134 N. Main St. in January.

Ashy emphasizes that DT Taco isn't a Mexican restaurant and won't be serving authentic Mexican food. The menu will consist of about 15 taco options and five nacho options — all what Ashy calls "artisan" style.

He said when he talks about it, he references Greenville's Willy Taco so people understand what he's going for. He mentioned menu items like Philly cheesesteak nachos, pork belly tacos and a fried chicken taco. He plans for the tacos to all be in the $3 to $5 range.

"I think this is something people enjoy because a lot of my friends, they would drive to Greenville for lunch to go to these taco places," Ashy said. "It's just the new thing in food right now, these artisan tacos. They're pretty cheap and have a lot of flavor, and it's something you can create a cool environment with and I'm really excited to bring it to Anderson."

Ashy made the decision to open DT Taco — not "Downtown Taco" — in September and started working to secure the location. He was able to renovate the inside of the building, which used to be a cigar bar, with the help of a $9,000 Downtown Business Assistance grant. He worked with 4126's chef who's worked in Michelin-star restaurants to create the menu.

He's made sure that DT Taco would be his own venture and hasn't needed any help from his father, Gus.

"I learned a lot opening the other restaurant," Ashy said. "I've been a part of four or five restaurant openings and I've helped with all of them, so I've kind of learned as I went.

"Thank goodness for my dad and his business and me helping him because it's really helped me to feel like I know what I'm doing. Not from a cocky perspective, but to have a slight confidence to feel like I've done it before. So when I get a little nervous, I can say, 'Hey, it's fine. You've done it before.'"

The building's owner and developer, John Wright Jr., wanted Ashy in the building because of his family's experience. Prior to DT Taco, Wright said the building had been a "revolving door" of restaurants.

"We wanted a strong operator who would come in and not shut their doors in a year or two," Wright said. "I'm really excited for them to come in."

Ashy, an Anderson native and Clemson graduate, has noticed big changes in Anderson's downtown and is excited to be part of that. The restaurant he owns with Gus is named The Boondocks because it's so far, Ashy said. He won't have that problem, being located in "the heart of the city."

"I hope to be one of those places that pulls the college students, the community down," he said.

Wright agrees that DT Taco will be in a prime location. They plan to start some exterior renovations soon to make the building stand out more.

"That's a key part of downtown that we want to see succeed," he said.

DT Taco will create about 20 new jobs. Ashy said hiring process will begin after Christmas.